London Men’s Fashion Week A/W 2013 report

CP Company

Straying away from the typical fashion show format, CP Company's presentation featured a live narration on heroes, greatness, beauty, and myth using quotes from Shakespeare's Hamlet and Plato's Symposium. Was the brand consciously aiming to dispel fashion's oft-perceived shallow image when it asked actor Joseph Mawle (currently in HBO's Game of Thrones) to venture into such deep, arcane waters to find a connection to their technical Goggle jackets? Mawle certainly offered some bits that made you think ('Men are like flat fish always looking for the other side', he declared) as an add-on to the looks that grazed over the layered outerwear with big hoods and detachable linings. All this was played out in a moody, half-darkened former vinyl factory.

MAN: Agi & Sam

Agi & Sam gave the traditional gear of the British country gent a youthful update. Check-on-check looks were worn with shoes dipped in orange rubber covers, while paisleys included foxes and pheasants, and hemlines were shortened on jackets and trousers to keep the countryman in the current fashion loop.

MAN: Agi & Sam

Agi & Sam gave the traditional gear of the British country gent a youthful update. Check-on-check looks were worn with shoes dipped in orange rubber covers, while paisleys included foxes and pheasants, and hemlines were shortened on jackets and trousers to keep the countryman in the current fashion loop.

MAN: Astrid Andersen

Astrid Andersen may be a sportswear designer, but she's not the kind to turn to for a pair of standard grey sweatpants. This season, her collection featured the most exquisite of fabrications: knitwear came in cashmere, jersey t-shirts were made from Japanese silk, and along the seams of a dark denim jacket ran unexpected trims of mink.

MAN: Craig Green

Craig Green introduced a sculptural element - rough wooden masks that accompanied layered looks - bestowing a mystery, a sense of suspense to the collection, which was dark, and ritually charged. But he also seemed to offer an escape from the glummer states of mind with a range of lighter tunics, which were delicately crumpled like fine wrapping paper.

Meadham Kirchhoff

Meadham Kirchhoff liked the idea of portraying their Fall collection as romantic wasteland, where androgynous, dandyish boys dominate a distant, post-apocalyptic, post-consumerist world. Occasionally, they had long blond hair, held in check with a crimson Alice-band; donned a hippie-esque double-breasted saffron jacket; or sported a sleek black oilskin coat. Black rubbish bags framed the space, but the most overpowering element was the atmospheric smoke emerging between them, treated with six bottles of Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet to safeguard the olfactory experience. The future is dark, according to Meadham Kirchhoff, but appealing nonetheless.

Meadham Kirchhoff

Meadham Kirchhoff liked the idea of portraying their Fall collection as romantic wasteland, where androgynous, dandyish boys dominate a distant, post-apocalyptic, post-consumerist world. Occasionally, they had long blond hair, held in check with a crimson Alice-band; donned a hippie-esque double-breasted saffron jacket; or sported a sleek black oilskin coat. Black rubbish bags framed the space, but the most overpowering element was the atmospheric smoke emerging between them, treated with six bottles of Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet to safeguard the olfactory experience. The future is dark, according to Meadham Kirchhoff, but appealing nonetheless.

Hackett

By leading show attendees through the majestic, gilded nave of St Paul's cathedral and down to the crypt where the fashion show took place, Hackett made a grand statement in its framing of iconic British styles for Fall. The bowler hat featured largely in classic city looks replete with tiepins and chained pocket watches tucked away in waistcoats. Layered tartan looks - occasionally deliberately eccentric with the likes of a showy cape - meant that the Hackett man is now equipped with all he needs for his next city-to-country visit of a romantic Scottish castle.

Hackett

By leading show attendees through the majestic, gilded nave of St Paul's cathedral and down to the crypt where the fashion show took place, Hackett made a grand statement in its framing of iconic British styles for Fall. The bowler hat featured largely in classic city looks replete with tiepins and chained pocket watches tucked away in waistcoats. Layered tartan looks - occasionally deliberately eccentric with the likes of a showy cape - meant that the Hackett man is now equipped with all he needs for his next city-to-country visit of a romantic Scottish castle.

Margaret Howell

Margaret Howell has made it her signature to design pared-down, unfussy clothes - the sort you might find on an architect who wants to appear stylish yet not too fashionable. Yet, in her AW13 show, she introduced stylistic details that do betray some sartorial attitude. The black berets hinted at their military heritage and had a feel of post-war working class, possibly taken from a black and white movie by the Italian Neorealist director Vittorio de Sica. More upscale, however, was a dotted silk scarf, neatly tucked under a single-breasted jacket along the neckline.

Margaret Howell

Margaret Howell has made it her signature to design pared-down, unfussy clothes - the sort you might find on an architect who wants to appear stylish yet not too fashionable. Yet, in her AW13 show, she introduced stylistic details that do betray some sartorial attitude. The black berets hinted at their military heritage and had a feel of post-war working class, possibly taken from a black and white movie by the Italian Neorealist director Vittorio de Sica. More upscale, however, was a dotted silk scarf, neatly tucked under a single-breasted jacket along the neckline.

Aitor Throup

Aitor Throup is a fashion designer of the most conceptual kind, and his output borders heavily on the practice of an artist. He is a man of ideas and, for his debut ready-to-wear installation, considered topics like 'When Football Hooligans Become Hindu Gods'. The reference eventually found its way into the likes of a re-engineered military satchel in the form of a human skull. Throup noted that Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, wore a necklace adorned with skulls to demonstrate his power over us mortals.

Aitor Throup

Aitor Throup is a fashion designer of the most conceptual kind, and his output borders heavily on the practice of an artist. He is a man of ideas and, for his debut ready-to-wear installation, considered topics like 'When Football Hooligans Become Hindu Gods'. The reference eventually found its way into the likes of a re-engineered military satchel in the form of a human skull. Throup noted that Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, wore a necklace adorned with skulls to demonstrate his power over us mortals.

Jonathan Saunders

Jonathan Saunders transferred his skill of balancing colour from women's into menswear. He showed V-neck tops gradually changing from sand to peony, to black; invented a vertically oriented camouflage pattern, faintly resembling a leopard's coat; and put orange soles on his funky take on the Vans slip-on shoe. Classic fabrics like a woollen twill appeared in turquoise, and, again, in orange, on a sporty field jacket, fusing sartorial Savile Row heritage with the trendy hipster universe of London's East End.

Jonathan Saunders

Jonathan Saunders transferred his skill of balancing colour from women's into menswear. He showed V-neck tops gradually changing from sand to peony, to black; invented a vertically oriented camouflage pattern, faintly resembling a leopard's coat; and put orange soles on his funky take on the Vans slip-on shoe. Classic fabrics like a woollen twill appeared in turquoise, and, again, in orange, on a sporty field jacket, fusing sartorial Savile Row heritage with the trendy hipster universe of London's East End.

Richard James

'This was actually a very luxurious collection,' said Richard James, who seems content that David Cameron publicly attests to being a fan of his work. Adds the designer: 'It might have had a slightly rough look, but if you go up close and feel the material, you can see how fine it behaves.' The materials in question were bubbly wools ('a great fabric') and Harris tweeds ('they have to have a coarser look, and last for 20-25 years'), and the collection also stressed the importance of the scarf as neck-accessory - chunky, or very delicate, in printed silk.

Richard James

'This was actually a very luxurious collection,' said Richard James, who seems content that David Cameron publicly attests to being a fan of his work. Adds the designer: 'It might have had a slightly rough look, but if you go up close and feel the material, you can see how fine it behaves.' The materials in question were bubbly wools ('a great fabric') and Harris tweeds ('they have to have a coarser look, and last for 20-25 years'), and the collection also stressed the importance of the scarf as neck-accessory - chunky, or very delicate, in printed silk.

Christopher Shannon

Christopher Shannon kept the balance between funny intermezzos - like half a cartoonish face sticking out its tongue on a sweater - and a more serious, geometric interpretation of his quintessential sportswear identity, pairing a panelled field jacket with a pair of jeans, which came chromatically divided in black, white and blue. It was also a leather-rich collection, adapting black patent hides in casually cut trousers, opposing the current trend in womenswear, where it is preferably fitted and body-conscious.

Christopher Shannon

Christopher Shannon kept the balance between funny intermezzos - like half a cartoonish face sticking out its tongue on a sweater - and a more serious, geometric interpretation of his quintessential sportswear identity, pairing a panelled field jacket with a pair of jeans, which came chromatically divided in black, white and blue. It was also a leather-rich collection, adapting black patent hides in casually cut trousers, opposing the current trend in womenswear, where it is preferably fitted and body-conscious.

Martine Rose

A cropped denim jacket with elongated sleeves over a white, hooded top, paired with flared sweatpants in black leather - Martine Rose's opening look at London Collections: Men was a brave departure from the Prince of Wales checks and herringbone tweed in three pieces that dominated the landscape of the rest of the shows. It was a collection with attitude, including patchworks of vintage company logos - collaged re-branding in a sense - and a hefty dose of mod provided by hooded parkas.

Martine Rose

A cropped denim jacket with elongated sleeves over a white, hooded top, paired with flared sweatpants in black leather - Martine Rose's opening look at London Collections: Men was a brave departure from the Prince of Wales checks and herringbone tweed in three pieces that dominated the landscape of the rest of the shows. It was a collection with attitude, including patchworks of vintage company logos - collaged re-branding in a sense - and a hefty dose of mod provided by hooded parkas.

Savile Row

At the splendidly renovated Spencer House, a neoclassical architectural gem and one of the foremost private residencies in London, Savile Row designers collaborated with purveyors of fine Australian wool Woolmark to showcase their best offerings, largely bespoke. The looks were grouped in themes - hunting, lounging, formal dining, uniform, for example - and installed in various rooms throughout the house as live installations, on real models. Fashion and architecture achieved a very special dialogue in this project.

Savile Row

At the splendidly renovated Spencer House, a neoclassical architectural gem and one of the foremost private residencies in London, Savile Row designers collaborated with purveyors of fine Australian wool Woolmark to showcase their best offerings, largely bespoke. The looks were grouped in themes - hunting, lounging, formal dining, uniform, for example - and installed in various rooms throughout the house as live installations, on real models. Fashion and architecture achieved a very special dialogue in this project.

Savile Row

At the splendidly renovated Spencer House, a neoclassical architectural gem and one of the foremost private residencies in London, Savile Row designers collaborated with purveyors of fine Australian wool Woolmark to showcase their best offerings, largely bespoke. The looks were grouped in themes - hunting, lounging, formal dining, uniform, for example - and installed in various rooms throughout the house as live installations, on real models. Fashion and architecture achieved a very special dialogue in this project.

Vivienne Westwood Man

Vivienne Westwood Man looked at British classics, such as the three-piece tartan suit, as well as modern function wear. On one jacket, the looped front panels could be unbuttoned and folded down over the legs - a protective biker gear-style covering that had a hint of a futuristic boiler suit. Meanwhile, technical cotton was worked into a sleek petrol Mac with back flap that allowed it the flexibility to be used as a riding coat too. Underneath, olive neoprene leggings underscored the athletic tone that seems to be a trend this season.

Vivienne Westwood Man

Vivienne Westwood Man looked at British classics, such as the like the 3-piece tartan suit, as well as modern function wear. On one jacket, the looped front panels could be unbuttoned and folded down over the legs - a protective biker gear-style covering that had a hint of a futuristic boiler suit. Meanwhile, technical cotton was worked into a sleek petrol Mac with back flap that allowed it the flexibility to be used as a riding coat too. Underneath, olive neoprene leggings underscored the athletic tone that seems to be a trend this season.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen menswear returned to London this season and its show was clearly pointing to Savile Row, where the label's founder cut his teeth. But chalk stripe suits had a touch of McQueen avant-garde too, with faces covered with transparent surgical masks. Burgundy eveningwear - the jacket sharpened with a pointed pagoda shoulder - casually belted at the waist, appeared toward the end of the show, after a series of mandorla all-over prints.
 

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen menswear returned to London this season and its show was clearly pointing to Savile Row, where the label's founder cut his teeth. But chalk stripe suits had a touch of McQueen avant-garde too, with faces covered with transparent surgical masks. Burgundy eveningwear - the jacket sharpened with a pointed pagoda shoulder - casually belted at the waist, appeared toward the end of the show, after a series of mandorla all-over prints.

J.W. Anderson

J.W. Anderson started with basic minimalist forms and a reduced colour palette, favouring beige for Fall, and then adding a bit of ruffle here and there: at the hem of mini shorts and the rim of knee-length riding boots. There was a twist in the chest of a boiled camel jumper, and a gathered neckline on another, exploring a dynamic, sculptural element in fabric, not unlike sculptor John Chamberlain's treatment of metal in his transformed car wrecks. A sliced apron in white vinyl took on the form of a butcher's dress, while longer, gloved styles reminded one of a surgeon's coat.

J.W. Anderson

J.W. Anderson started with basic minimalist forms and a reduced colour palette, favouring beige for Fall, and then adding a bit of ruffle here and there: at the hem of mini shorts and the rim of knee-length riding boots. There was a twist in the chest of a boiled camel jumper, and a gathered neckline on another, exploring a dynamic, sculptural element in fabric, not unlike sculptor John Chamberlain's treatment of metal in his transformed car wrecks. A sliced apron in white vinyl took on the form of a butcher's dress, while longer, gloved styles reminded one of a surgeon's coat.

Hardy Amies

Pall Mall meets Bauhaus - that was the inspiration behind Claire Malcolm's polished collection for Hardy Amies. 'I imagined Hardy attending weekend parties at Balmoral,' the designer said, and hypothetically bumping into Josef and Anni Albers, the painter/weaver duo from the Bauhaus in Dessau on a spontaneous trip to London. Pushing the boundaries in fabric design, like Albers did in the 1930s, the aim was to create a Bauhaus check, fusing Germanic and British identities in a fabric that's been applied to the concise, razor-sharp tailoring with a preference for the three-pieced suit.